The Goldman Sachs Group Boosts Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) Price Target to $264.00

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) had its price objective upped by stock analysts at The Goldman Sachs Group from $239.00 to $264.00 in a research note issued on Friday,MarketScreener reports. The firm currently has a “buy” rating on the oil and gas company’s stock. The Goldman Sachs Group’s target price indicates a potential upside of 18.46% from the company’s previous close.

Other equities research analysts have also issued reports about the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $184.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday. Scotiabank upgraded shares of Marathon Petroleum to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 27th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price target on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $216.00 to $205.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 26th. Mizuho boosted their price target on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $205.00 to $224.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 17th. Finally, Piper Sandler boosted their price target on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $197.00 to $228.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $232.88.

Marathon Petroleum Price Performance

Shares of Marathon Petroleum stock opened at $222.85 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $218.24 and its 200-day simple moving average is $196.09. Marathon Petroleum has a 52 week low of $117.74 and a 52 week high of $255.77. The company has a market capitalization of $65.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.69, a PEG ratio of 0.41 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a quick ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 1.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.27.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 3rd. The oil and gas company reported $4.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.73 by $0.34. Marathon Petroleum had a net margin of 2.99% and a return on equity of 13.90%. The business had revenue of $32.57 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $30.89 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.77 EPS. The company’s revenue was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that Marathon Petroleum will post 8.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Marathon Petroleum

In related news, insider Ricky D. Hessling sold 1,626 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $228.18, for a total transaction of $371,020.68. Following the sale, the insider owned 7,525 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,717,054.50. This represents a 17.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Insiders have sold a total of 4,473 shares of company stock worth $1,015,428 over the last quarter. 0.17% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MPC. Delos Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Marathon Petroleum in the second quarter worth about $25,000. Navalign LLC purchased a new stake in Marathon Petroleum during the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC purchased a new stake in Marathon Petroleum during the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Berbice Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Marathon Petroleum by 100.0% during the 4th quarter. Berbice Capital Management LLC now owns 200 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the period. Finally, WFA of San Diego LLC purchased a new stake in Marathon Petroleum during the 2nd quarter valued at $33,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.77% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Marathon Petroleum

Here are the key news stories impacting Marathon Petroleum this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Goldman Sachs raised its price target to $264 and maintained a Buy — the largest, most bullish lift this week and a clear catalyst for upside re-rating. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Barclays moved its target to $230 and kept an Overweight — another institutional vote that supports further multiple expansion. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks upgraded MPC from Hold to Strong-Buy, adding short-term positive sentiment from retail-focused research. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage piece notes upgraded earnings views, stronger refiner margins with higher oil, and an active buyback program — a fundamental case supporting a higher forward valuation. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Citigroup raised its target to $243 but kept a Neutral rating — signals upside but tempered conviction. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: JPMorgan and Piper Sandler both lifted targets (to $235 and $228 respectively) while keeping Neutral ratings — modestly constructive but not strong buy-side conviction. JPMorgan Article Piper Article
• Negative Sentiment: Despite the bullish analyst activity, MPC experienced a sharp intraday drop on April 8 (roughly a 5.5% decline) — a reminder of near-term volatility and possible profit-taking after the recent run-up. Article Title

About Marathon Petroleum

Marathon Petroleum Corporation (NYSE: MPC) is a U.S.-based downstream energy company engaged principally in the refining, marketing, supply and transportation of petroleum products. The company was formed through a spin-off from Marathon Oil in 2011 and operates an integrated system of refining and logistics assets that support the production and distribution of transportation fuels and other refined petroleum products.

Marathon Petroleum’s operations include refining crude oil into gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, asphalt and other specialty products, as well as managing the distribution and storage infrastructure needed to move those products to market.